Corn-planter.



Patented Ian. 29, I90l.

G. D. HAW UR TH. .GURN PLANTER. (Application fllad Nov. 27 1899.)

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(lULedC e Mamas min: mo'raumu. wuumcmu n c no. 666,754. Patantod m. 29,1901.

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a. 0. HAWOBTH.

CDRN PLANTER'. (Application filed Nov. 27, 1899.)

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No. 666,754. Patantd Jan. 29, l90l.

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BORN PLANTER.

(Application filed Nov. 27, was.

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G. n. HAWURTH.

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(Application filed Nov. 27, 1899.)

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P TENT GEORGE VD. HAWORTH, or cHicAGo, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,754, dated January29, 1901. Application filed November 27,1899. Serial No. 738,423. (Nomodel-J To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. HAWORTH, of the city of Chicago, county ofCook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Corn-Planters, of which the following is aspecification.

This in vent-ion relates to various details in the front or plantingsection of a corn-planter, as will hereinafter appear. It is exemplifiedin the structure hereinafter described, and it is defined in theappended claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the front frame of the plant-er with the second dropmechanism exposed. .In this figure the furrow-forming disk and certainside plates for the corn-chute are removed to better illustrate the dropmovement, and the drop is shown in an inactive or corn-retainingcondition. Fig.2 is a detail diagram of the second drop in sideelevation, showing the drop in the act of forcibly discharging the corndownward and backward. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the meansemployed to get a back-and-forth movement in the second drop from eachswing of the rock-shaft of the first drop movement. Fig. 4 is a sideelevation of the front frame of the planter, showing an end of acheck-rower head and illustrating details of construction in a diskscraper. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a chilled bushing used to form abearing for a disk journal. Fig. 6 is an end view of the bushing. Fig. 7is a plan of a planter embodying my improvements. Fig. 8 is an enlargeddetail planof the intermediate check-row movement. Fig. 9 is a frontelevation of the intermediate checkrow movement. Fig. 10 is aperspective representation of the rockplate of the intermediatecheck-row movement. Fig. 11 is a side elevation of one of the pawls usedto move the rock-plate. Fig. 12 is an enlarged plan of a check-row head,showing the head swung sidewise to feed the check-row wire toward a reelmounted on the rear frame of the planter adjacent to a wheel thereof anddirect the wire across the planter in unreeling. Fig. 13 is a detailplan of one of the forked levers used to receive motion from knots on acheckrow wire and impart it to the dropping mechanism. Fig. 14 is adiagram in plan showing the relation of the shields to the disk and therelation of the disks and shields to the direction of the travel of theplanter. Fig. 15 isa section through the bushing for the disk hearing.

A pair of seedboxes are shown at 1, a tongue at 2, and an archedcross-bar connecting the seed boxes at 3. At 4 is shown a bracebar whichconnects with the shanks of the planter between the ends thereof andwith the tongue 2 in front of the seedboxes. The brace-bar approximatesan arc of a circle in contour. Its ends are attached to lugs 77 ofshanks 57, as shown in Fig. 1, and it is secured to the tongue midwaybetween its ends by means of brackets 50. The shake-bar, by means ofwhich the drop mechanism of the seedboxes is actuated, is shown at 6,and a rod connecting the intermediate check-row movement with theshake-bar is shown at 7. The intermediate check-row movement is mountedon a base-bracket 8,. which in this instance is secured to crossbar 3 ofthe planter. A rock-plate 9 is pivoted at its center on the base-plate.It has laterally-extending arms 10 and 11, one on each side, and it alsohas raised bosses 14 and 14, one in front of each arm. On one of thearms is an extension 12, which connects with link rod 7 of the shake-barthrough casting 27, as shown in Fig. 7, and an extension 13, locatedbetween the arms, provides means for rocking the plate by either hand orfoot power. A rock-frame 15 is hinged to the base-bracket, and itcarries on its swinging side a pair of pawls l6 and 17, one of whichengages arm 11 of the rock-plate, while the other engages arm 10. Thepawls extend approximately parallel one with the other, and theirswinging ends are yoked together by a bar 18, which rests on the pawlsand loosely-engages pins 19 thereon. The rock-frame has one of itspivot-pins extended through the journal of the pin, and a wheel or disk22 is fixed on the extension. 23 and 23 on opposite sides of the pivot,and a rod 25 (shown in Fig. 7) connects with the upper end of slot 23,while a rod 26 connects with the lower end of slot 23 A stop-pin 24extends into slot 23, near the upper end thereof, and provides a restfor the end of rod 25, extending through the slot. A similar stop may beplaced in slot 23 to prevent the end The disk has arc-formed slots ofrod 26 from traveling upward when the disk is rocked by rod 25. The rods25 and 26 connect each with a forked lever 46 in a check-row head, andthe knots of a check-row wire act on the disk through the forked leversand the rods. A spring 20 is hitched to rock-frame and to a stud oncross-bar 3 or other relatively fixed part of the planter convenientlyplaced, and it tends to retract the pawls after they have been thrownoperatively by a knot of a check-row wire or otherwise. The pawls engagethe arms of the rock-plate through force of gravity; but it is better touse a spring to supplement or emphasize the action of gravity, and so aspring wire or strip 21 is looped or coiled through a hole in therock-frame at the point of connection of spring 20 therewith, and oneend is extended above the yoke-bar18, while the other is extended intospring 20. This provides a spring that bears against the yoke-bar 18when the rock-frame is retracted,so as to insure the engagement of apawl with an arm of the rockplate at the time an operative throw isgiven to the pawls, and that swings out of contact with the yoke duringthe back-and-forth travel of the pawls, so as to not interfere withtheir movements. The rock-plate 9 has an eX- tension over which thepawls travel, and such extension has raised sidewise projections 14L and14;, which act to prevent the pawls from engaging the rock-plate armsinopportunely. The pawls are constructed as shown in Fig. 11, where arest-finger is shown at 17, a drive or contact surface at 17", and aguard projection at 17. The finger rests on an arm of the rock-platewhile the pawl is in action, the contact-surface bears against the armto move it, and the guard projection extends downward on the inside ofthe pawl to engage the boss 1 1 of the rock-plate at certain times inthe operation of the movement to cause the pawl to make a forwardinoperative throw. The bosses or projections 14 and 14 give the pawlsinitial sidewise motion, and the plate is depressed from the bossestoward the arms to form grooves in which the guard projections of thepawls may move during the inactive forward motions of the pawls. Therock-plate is thrown in one direction by one pawl and in the otherdirection by the other pawl. The pawls move back and forth together; butone is idle while the other is working, and the reverse. In Fig. 8 pawl16 has acted on arm 11 to give the rock-plate a swing in one direction,and pawl 17 is in position to act on arm 10 and reverse the swing of therock-plate. At this juncture boss 14 is outside the guard projection ofpawl 16, and when the rock-frame is moved forward the pawl 17 acts onarm 10, while pawl 16 is diverted inward by its guard projection hearingagainst the inner surface of boss 14, and the pawl 16 rides along thegroove or depression of the plate entirely out of contact with arm 11.When the throw of pawl 17 is compieted, the spring 20 draws both pawlsback to a preparatory position, the spring 21 bears on the yoke-bars tomake it certain that the pawl 16 will drop behind arm 11, and the guardprojection of pawl 17 is brought to rest inside boss 14.

In imparting motion to the rock-frame 15 through disk 22 one of the rods25 or 26 acts in one of the slots, while the other is at rest. If thecheck-row wire is in the head on the right side of the planter, rod 26pulls on the lower side of the disk to actuate the intermediate movementand through such movement the dropping mechanism, while rod 25 restsinactive on stop 24. (Shown in Fig. 9.) When the planter is turned andthe wire shifted from one head to the other, the rod 25 is made to pullon the upper side of the disk, while rod 26 is inactive. In both thesecases the operative throw is imparted by external force and theretractive movement is produced by the spring 20.

The check-row heads, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 12, arehorizontally swingable to direct the wire toward an automatic orplanter-impelled reel and permit it'to be discharged around thecheck-rower, so as to plant while unreeling, and are adjustable to andfrom the intermediate movement to accommodate rods 25 and 26 and bring.the forked levers and the intermediate movement into proper correlation.Abar 28 is fastened to a'seedbox or some other convenient part of theplanter, and it has an upturned end 30. An arm 29 is mounted slidably onbar'28. It has a head 35, and the head 35 is connected with the upturnedend of the bar by an adjusting-bolt 31. The forked lever is connectedpivotally with the head 35, and its relation to the disk of theintermediate movement is nicely adjusted by means of bolt 31, so as toconform to the length of the rod 26 and hold the parts in properoperative positions.

The check-row head comprises a principal bar 33 and an outer tilting bar37, which is hinged to the main bar. The main bar has IIO a plate 32,which is provided with a pin 3 L,

adapted to engage any one of a set of holes 36 in head 35. The plate 32and the main bar of the check-row head are secured to head 35 of arm 29by means of a bolt concentric with head 35, and when the parts arefastened together the pin 34: engages one of the holes 36. Ordinarilythe check-row head is held at right angles with arm 29; but when it isdesired to plant while reeling up the wire onto a reel set alongside aplanter wheel the check-row head is turned somewhat, as shown in Fig.12, by loosening the securing-bolt, placing pin 34.- in the desired holein head 35, and retightening the securing-bolt. This disarranges therelation of the forked lever to the intermediate movement, and to meetthis condition the lever has a plurality of holes for rod 26, as shownin Fig. 13.

The forked lever is preferably composed of two members, one of which isloosely joined to the other to accommodate vibrations in the wire. It isof the bell-crank or L type, and it is so disposed with relation to thehitch-rod that the rod swings toward the pivot of the lever as the levercompletes its throw. By this arrangement the greatest resistance to theswing of the lever is at the beginning of the swing, at which time theforks extend directly across the check-row wire, and the mechanicaladvantage of the lever increases as the lever swings to a knot-releasingposition, therebyavoiding the danger of a knot slipping oif the leverbefore a throw is completed and a dropping operation performed.

A forked lever is composed of an arm &3, a bracket 45, and fingers id.The arm is pivoted in the check-row head at 48. It has an L extension47, and its swinging end at is underhooked, as shown in Fig. 4:. Thebracket a5 is loosely joined to arm 43, and it has a finger 45, thatextends around the underhooking termination of the arm. The fingers A6are fastenedfirmly to the bracket by means of a bolt; but the connectionbetween bracket 45 and the arm 43 isloose enough to accommodatevibrations and bends in the check-row wire.

The check-row head has pulleys 39 on the relatively fixed part of itsframe, and the tiltbar 37 carries pulleys 38. The tilt-bar has a fingera0, which engages a trip-plate all to hold pulleys 38 in operativeposition. A spring 42 tends to hold the trip-plate under finger 40, andthe plate has a hole with which a line may be connected for thepurpose-of releasing the finger and dumping the checkrow wire 49 whenthe end of the field is reached.

The second drop mechanism (illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2) consists ofelements and pe culiarities as follows: A rock-shaft used to actuate theseed-disk ofa corn-hopper is shown at 69. A lever 67 is fulcrumed at 68below the rock-shaft. An arm 70 extends downward from an end ofrock-shaft 69, and a link 71 connects the swinging end of the arm withan end of lever 67. The lever is directly under the rock-shaft. Thefulcrum of the lever is at right angles with the axis of the shaft, andthe shaft completes a dropping action in the seed-disk at each sideswing, its movements in both directions being operative. When the shaftis at rest, the arm 70 extends to one side or the other of a verticalline drawn from the center of the shaft, as shown in Fig. 3, and the end72 of arm 67 is held raised by link 71. As the shaft is rocked toactuate the seed-disk the arm 70 travels from position a in Fig. 3 firstto position b and then to position c, the two positions last named beingshown in dotted lines. hen position b is reached, the end 72 of thelever is depressed, and when position 0 is reached it is raised again,so that a complete reciprocating mo vement is developed in the lever bya single side swing of arm 70. At the lower end of the shank 57 is a pin61, and on such pin is pivoted a rock-valve 62. The rock-valve has aperipheral cup 63, in which corn is temporarily retained, and it alsohas an arc-formed shelf 64 in front of the cup. The rear wall of the cupterminates nearer the pivot of the valve than does the front wall, for areason that will hereinafter appear. A rod 66 extends from end 72 oflever 67 and is connected with the rock-valve at 65, while a swingingvalve 73 extends downward from the opposite end of the lever and closesagainst the rear side of thecup of valve 62. Apartition-wall 78 extendsfrom the shelf 64 of the rock-valve upward to the seedbox, and'it formsthe front wall of the corn-chute. The valve 73 forms the rear wall ofthe chute, shank 57 forms one of the side walls, and the other side wallis formed in part by a plate attached to bosses 74. and 75 and in partby the plate extension 76 on lever 67.

Corn is delivered to the second drop-valve in the usual manner, and itrests temporarily in the cup below and to the rear of the front wallthereof and in front of the lower end of the swinging valve 73. WVhenthe rock-shaft 69 has moved one-half of a complete swing, the lever 67is carried to the position shown in Fig. 2, the swinging lever is movedbackward, and the cup of the rock-valve is tilted rearward and downward,discharging the corn forcibly in the direction indicated. When therock-shaft has completed its movement, the parts have reassu med thepositions shown in Fig. 1, corn has again been supplied to the seed-cup,and all is in readiness for another operation similar to that justdescribed, except that the rock-shaft moves from c to a at its nextoperation. The rear Wall of the cup is much lower than the front wallthereof, and it does not extend so faraway from pin 61. This leaves thefront wall standing well above the corn in position to strike itdownward and backward with a force dependent on the speed at which theteam is traveling. The swinging valve stands ordinarily in the path ofthe front wall of the corn-cup; but it moves out of such path at thebeginning of a dropping operation and provides so much clearance as tomake wedging of the corn impossible. (See Fig. 2.)

The furrow-openers are concaved disks set with their convex sides nextthe shanks and extended obliquely across the lines of travel. Thisbrings the front parts of the disks approximately in line with the linesof travel, thus facilitating the preliminary cuts in the fu rrow-formingoperations, and the rear parts of the concaved surfaces diverge outwardto form rolling moldboards and to provide guardspaces in which thecorn-delivering shanks are placed. The oblique disposal of the concaveddisks also insures so much pressure of soil as to compel the disks toturn and displace the soil by rolling action, and in this respect alonethe concaved disks are a considerable improvement over the flat disksused by me in the past to open furrows for IIO planters. The disks arejournaled in chilled bushings 59, which are set into specially-preparedopenings 58 in the shanks of the planter and which havelaterally-extending lugs 60, through which securing-bolts extend. Thebushings are tapered, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and the bolts thereofhold the bushings firmly in Whatever positions they may be given.

A shield or runner 55 is fastened to each shank in a manner to form withthe convex surface of the rear part of a disk a continuation of thecorn-delivering chute, and the front ends of the shields curve upward inclose contiguity with the front parts of the disks and describe linesconforming to but not coinciding with the perimeter of the disks that isto say, the front edges of the shields are arcs of circles, orapproximately so, and they begin in the rear of the front edges of thedisk and extend to the lower edge thereof in lines of gradualconvergence, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The effect of this arrangement is to present edges to the convex surfaces of the disks, whichedges engage the soil and other matter on such surfaces with a draw-cutaction.

A disk furrow-opener with shield for cornplanter is subject to verydifferent conditions from that of like devices used in a wheatdrill. Ina corn-planter it requires that there shall be no dragging of tenaciousmaterial such as grass, roots, &c.because of the liability of displacingthe seed from the hill or check position required in check-row planting.Therefore it is necessary that the moldboard or shield shall extendforward at its upper point to an intermediate point between the pivotalbearing of the disk and its front edge. This point should be far enoughin advance so that the curved edge of the shield, inclined downward andbackward, shall conform near enough to the circular movement of thesurface of the disk which comes in contact with the edge of the shieldso that the friction of the disk against the same shall facilitate inconducting all trashy material which may be brought between the disk andthe shield down and out of the way freely without any liability to drag.The location of the point in front of the center of the disk to whichthe upper edge of the shield extends is governed materially by thecurvature of the convex side of the disk, as the diagram in Fig. 14 ofthe drawings will explain, the

object being to keep the front end of the shield inside the line oftravel and cleavature of the front edge of the disk.

For the concave sides of the disks I provide scrapers, as 52 in Fig. 4,connecting them with swingable arms 51, which are pivoted to the planterat 53, and extending rods 54. from the swingable arms or levers 56 inFig. 7, accessible to the driver of the planter. These scrapers areadapted to engage the cutting parts of the disks on their concave sides,and they are applicable whenever needed.

The arched brace-bar 4 is connected with the shanks below the upper endsthereof. It extends forward and upward from the shanks to an extent toprovide clearance, and it stays the shanks in all directions.

The doubletree 85 (shown in Figs. 1 and 7) is connected with the tongueby means of a swinginglink that carries the doubletree sidewise toneutralize the side draft of the markerbar, and the link is pivotedobliquely on or in the tongue, so that the end of the doubletreeadjacent to the check-row wire is tilted upward to clear the wire whenthe markerbar pulls the doubletree sidewise. The link has an upwardextension, on the lower part of which the doubletree is swung, and ahitch for the rope of the marker-bar is attached to the upper end of theextension well above the doubletree. The link 82 has a pivot extension81, that extends downward and forward, and a swinging extension 83, thatextends upward and forward. The pivot extension journals in a head 80 ofcasting 79, and it preferably penetrates the tongue to strengthen thebearing. The doubletree is carried by the swinging end of the link,preferably on a washer, as 86, and the extension 83 passes through thedoubletree andforms a pivot therefrom. A hitchring 84 for the rope of amarker-bar is pivotally connected with the upper end of the extension83, and such ring is away beyond the doubletree on a line drawn at rightangles with the pivot extension 81 of the link. The oblique pivot of thelink enables the marker-bar to gain leverage through the upwardextension, so that the doubletree will respond more readily to sidepull, and it also gives the doubletree the tilt hereinbefore mentionedto raise it out of the Way of the check-row wire. By carrying extension83 upward rather than forward the leverage for the marker-bar is gainedwithout getting in the way of the team, and the hitch for the rope ofthe marker-bar is held well above the doubletree.

When the check-row heads are turned, as shown in Fig. 12, the wire maybe unreeled through the check-row head in front of the reel, carriedacross the planter to the other check-row head, and made to operate theforked lever of the head opposite the reel in the act of unreeling.

I claim 1. A furrow-former for planters comprising a concavo-convex diskjournaled with its front parallel with the line of travel a part of theway back toward its pivot and then diverging from the line of travel,and a shield or guard on the convex side of the disk the front edge ofwhich begins in front of the pivot of the disk at approximately theplace of divergence of the disk from the line of travel and extendsdownward and backward to near the lower edge of the disk, substantiallyas described.

2. The combination with ashank and a furrow-opening disk journaled inthe shank, of

a removable bushing for the disk and a lateral lug on the bushing havinga bolt-hole by means of which the bushing is secured to the shank,substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a second drop for planters, of a rocking valvehaving a seedcup in its periphery and a swinging valve resting normallyagainst the rear side of the seed-cup and moving away therefrom as thecup is discharged, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a second drop for planters of a rocking valvehaving a seedcup in its periphery composed of an approximatelyhorizontal sustaining-wall and an approxim ately verticaldischarging-wall in front of the sustaining-wall, and a swinging valveforming the rear wall of the seed-cup and moving away therefrom as thecup is discharged, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a second drop for planters, of a rocking valvehaving a peripheral seed-cu p, a swinging valve normally restingagainst, the seed-cup and a lever connected from one end with therocking valve and from the other end with the swinging valve,substantially as described.

6. The combination in a second drop for corn-planters,of a rock-shafthaving an arm, a lever carrying a second drop-valve and a stiff linkbetween the arm of the rock-shaft and the lever,substantially asdescribed; whereby the valve is opened and closed by each swing of thearm.

7. In a second" drop movement for planters, the combination of a lever,a rock-valve connected with one end of the lever, and a swinging valvefixed on the opposite end of the lever and coacting with the rock-valve,substantially as described.

8. In an intermediate drop-actuating movement for planters, thecombination of a horizontal rock-plate having lateral arms on oppositesides of its pivot and pawl-guideways on its upper surface, and a pairof simulta neously-moving alternately-operative pawls, the operative oneof which engages an arm of the rock-plate while the inoperative onerides in its guideway out of contact with its arm, substantiallyasflesci'ibed.

9. In an intermediate drop-actuating movement for planters, thecombination of a horizontal rock-plate having lateral arms on oppositesides of its pivot and pawl-guideways on its upper surface, a rock-framecarrying a pair of simultaneously-moving, alternatelyoperative pawlsadapted to act on the arms of the rock-plate, and a yoke-bar holding theswinging ends of the pawls against independent sidewise movement,substantially as described.

10. In an intermediate drop-actuating movement for planters thecombination of a horizontal rock-plate having lateral arms on oppositesides of its pivot and pawl-guideways on its upper surface, a rock-framecarrying a pair of simultaneously-moving alternatelyoperative pawlsadapted to act on the arms of the rock-plate, a yoke-bar connecting theswinging ends of the pawls to prevent independent side swing thereinanda spring pressing downward on the yoke when the pawls are retracted,substantially as described.

11. In an intermediate drop-actuating movem ent, the combination of arock-plate, a rockframe carrying a pair of pawls adapted to alternatelymove the rock -plate, and a disk fixed on a pivot of the rock-frame andhaving a pair of arc-formed slots to receive ends of actuating-rods,substantially as described.

12. The combination with an intermediate drop-actuating movement forplanters operated by rods connected with forked levers in a check-rowhead, of check-row heads carrying the forked levers and adjustable toand from the intermediate movement, substantially as described.

13. The combination with a check-row bar, or bracket, of a check-rowhead horizontally swingable on the bracket and means for holding thehead in different positions, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

l t. The combination with acheck-row bar or bracket, of a check-row headhorizontally swingable on the head, means for holding the head indifierent positions and a forked lever in the head having a plurality ofhitch-holes, substantially as and for the purpose described.

15. In aplanter, the combination of a forked lever to receive motionfrom a check-row wire and a rod to impart the motion to a drop movement,the rod being hitched to the lever on a line from the pivot forming anapproximate right angle with the rod while the rod is at rest, wherebythe mechanical advantage of the lever increases as the lever nears theend of its operative throw.

16. The combination in a planter of seedboxes, shanks therefor, across-bar connecting the boxes or shanks, a tongue fastened to thecross-bar and an arched brace-bar extending from one shank to the otherand rising obliquely forward to the tongue, substantially as described.

17. A scraper for disks pivoted in the rear of its scraping edge on apivot approximately parallel with such edge, whereby the scraper isgiven a drawing out when applied to the disk, substantially asdescribed.

18. In a corn-planter, the combination of a draft-link having a stiffpivot-pin journaled in aforward and downward extended bearing, an upwardand forward extension of the link carrying a marker-bar hitch at itsupper end and a doubletree swung on the lower end of the upwardextension, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign my name in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

GEO. D. HAWORTH.

Witnesses:

O. A. PATTISON, D. A. STRADER.

